Climbing Mont Blanc: Preparation - Gear
The other part of the preparation was getting all the right gear. I got most of my gear before I left and bought and rented the rest in France. Proper hiking attire is expensive. Stick “GoreTeX” or “technical” on a t-shirt and double the price. Basically you need to wear at least three layers of clothes. The clothes should be made from synthetic materials (not cotton), be light, and dry quickly. Be aware there are now several other types of fabric on the market that do the same job (or better) as GoreTeX.
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Here is a full list of my clothes and equipment, whether I bought or rented, whether I actually used them during the climb, and any other notes:
| Item | Bought or Rented | Actually Used or Not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Socks | B | U | |
| Outer Socks | B | U | Bring spare pair in case first pair get wet |
| Technical underwear | B | U | Recommend buy one pair |
| Base layer (top and bottoms) | B | U | Buy a basic cheap base layer |
| T-shirt | B | U | I put on over base layer but not sure if really needed. |
| High-tech water-resistant lighweight fleece | B | U | An important piece of your kit. Consider its purchase with more care. |
| Trousers | B | U | Buy standard trekking trousers. |
| Outer shell jacket | B | U | Prepare to spend on this but pick something fashionable and you can use generally. GoreTeX or similar. |
| Outer shell trousers | B | U | Don't go overboard spending on this |
| Goose down jacket | B | U | These cost money and I never needed to wear mine even at night in cold weather and biting wind but if you get into trouble you would get very cold very quickly without it |
| Sun hat or cap | B | N | I used in training though |
| Balaclava | B | U | A Must. Try and get a comfortable one as they can itch the face off you |
| Hat | B | U | |
| Sun glasses | B | U | For Glacier (grade 4) |
| Ski goggles | B | U | Make sure can fit over sun-glasses, consider if you will need to use at night in which case get clear or lightly tinted. You could use standard DIY goggles for this or better still buy ski goggles online at much lower prices  |
| Inner gloves | B | U | |
| Outer gloves | B | U | Boy was I glad for these babies. Make sure are suitable for high mountains, waterproof and warm. |
| Gaiters | B | U | Get ones with a buckle or similar quickly fastenable mechanism. Make sure they fit over all layers and over your ascent boots. |
| Backpack | B | U | 45+10 litres. An important piece of kit. A bag with a couple of easily accessible separate compartments is very useful. You will need loops or side straps for poles and a loop and strap for an ice axe. Ideally you should keep your crampons, helmet and harness on the outside of your bag. Especially your crampons because they can rip stuff and will be wet after taken off |
| Trekking poles | B | U | They will break so are not worth spending too much on but cheap ones will break quicker so go figure. One newer pole type doesn’t use the really annoying twist mechanism, which breaks all the time, but has a simpler clip catch instead. Or a twist pole I saw had only two separate sections, so although it could not telescope up as small, it had less chance of malfunctioning and was simpler to expand and retract. |
| Small light | B | N | Keep in your pocket. Buy a light inexpensive one. |
| Small knife | B | N | |
| Compass | B | N | |
| Mobile (cell) phone | B | U | Essential. Get a waterproof pouch and make sure battery is charged. You will get reception right up to Goûter hut. Consider GPS-enabled such as Nokia N95 |
| Bandages, molesking and tape | B | N | |
| Antiseptic cream | B | N | |
| Compeed | B | N | Second skin for blisters. I got no blisters just sore feet. |
| Immodium | B | N | Not really necessary. When you try and go in the hell that is the Goûter hut and feel a howling alpine wind shooting up through a toilet seat that gapes down a cliff you won't be able to go for a week anyway. |
| Analgesic e.g. paracetemol | B | N | Do you really need this? No simple headache tablet will make altitude sickness go away. |
| Anti-inflammatories e.g. Ibuprofen (neurofen) | B | N | |
| Earplugs | B | U | Essential but you still may not get any sleep in the Goûter |
| Factor 40+ sun cream | B | U | Get smallest possible size tube. |
| 20+ SPF lip balm | B | U | Keep in your pockdet with the sun screen at all times |
| Toothpaste/toothbrush | B | U | Get travel-size tube. |
| Towel | B | U | Not cotton but synthetic technical/travel towel |
| Camera | B | U | Light and in a pouch slung over your chest |
| Ice axe (piolet) | R | U | |
| Harness with carabiner | R | U | |
| Winter mountaineering boots | R | U | Don't buy these, rent. So called four-season boots will not do. Its not just the rigid sole and lip for catching crampons. You need ones that give protection from severe cold. You need to have these fitted for crampons in the shop where you rent them. |
| Crampons | R | U | |
| Headlamp | R | U | |
| Helmet | R | U | You could probably use a bicycle helmet for this as they are basic enough pieces of kit. |
| 2 litre water bottle or platypus | B | U | Platypusses can and do leak and burst. Try and leave in a separate compartment or pouch of your bag if you can. Also they will freeze at low temperatures. |
| 1 litre thermos flask | B | U | For sweetened tea on the summit day as your platypus will freeze. |
| Snacks | B | U | I didn't actually eat too much of these but you probably need to eat at least one sugary cereal bar per stop. You should carry emergency amounts in case things don't go to plan. The basic ones from Carrefour are fine (anything that says “sport” or “power” on the front will be dearer.) Pre-unwrap and keep in a zip lock bag. |
| Transparent Zip-lock plastic bags | B | U | Great for medical, toilet and food stuffs. |
| Plastic refuse sacks | B | U | To keep clothes dry, group things, or isolate wet items in your pack. |
Next >> Training Days
Only 2 negative comments I would make about you gear list.
Technical Underwear - what are you a girl. some sales person in one of the outdoor shops was trying to fleece you.
As for the helmet, a bicycle helmet would not do. Have you ever seen or heard rock fall in the mountains, not a nice experience if you have to pass near it or underneath. There a number of mountaineering helmets that now look like bicycle helmets
but these are tested to withstand certain forces, a bike helmet will not help.
I’d use a sun hat with a neck covering for the walk in before I get to the stage of putting on my helmet.
Other than that good list
Mark
hey @markvader thanks for the feedback.
I’m a big fan of technical underwear - though by technical I just mean non-cotton. Even hiking in wicklow on a warm day the first thing to get soaking are your scruds. Then you are stuck wet in them like a wet nappy all day. A lot of people wear fancy gortex north face trousers and underneath a cotton nappy. It would be particulary ludicrous to wear cotton underwear under a base layer. Better to go commando instead of that.
Thanks for the info on the mountaineering helmets. The ones we were loaned were pretty rubbish. I figured if I rock hits you it couldn’t be much worse than falling off a bike head-first but I reason this with no expertise whatsoever
I used a brimmed hat but would like to try a neck covered cap. Might be nicer if you could roll up the neck flap as needed.
PS Where do you go hiking/mountaineering?
On “technical” underwear point: a lot of running gear has the same wicking technology as hiking gear but is less specialist and there are more generic brandless products out there. I have a running top and bottons that I could have used as base layer and also tight running shorts could double as underwear.
- Eamon
Re ‘technical underwear’ I’ve been playing in the outdoors for approx 20+ years (running, climbing, mountain climbing, caving etc) and have tried all sorts. The only technical underwear I ever wear now is a pair of swimming trunks…
Note re use of bicycle helmet, I can understand the thinking but the practice makes me a bit nervous - I’d go for a light weight climbing specific helmet, or one of those that is now sold as a ‘generic fits all’ purposes - which have at least been tested for mountain use…
Cheers
@Alain thanks for the comments. Swimming trunks: very clever. I think a lot of the stuff just goes by different names. Technical underwear will be a lot more expensive than swimming trunks though they are probably roughly the same thing!
“Playing in the outdoors” - great description. I have just taken up rock climbing this year and am loving it but so far, due to the Irish weather, I have only been playing indoors
Throw away your soap, detergent, and personal hygiene, the Japanese have invented odor-free underwear:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090323/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_space_underwear
Koichi Wakata, a Japanese astronaut living in the International Space Station, is testing the underwear created by textile experts at Japan Women’s University in Tokyo. The shorts are designed to kill bacteria, absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly. They also are flame-resistant, and anti-static. “The other astronauts become very sweaty, but he doesn’t have any sweat. He didn’t need to hang his clothes to dry. He can wear his trunks (underwear) more than a week,” said Koji Yanagawa, an official with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.